Tommy Pham and his adorable family have won the hearts of audiences ever since he made MasterChef debut in 2021.
So, when he returned for this year’s Fans and Favourites season and made it into the top 10, viewers were sad to see him eliminated on Sunday night.
“I’m really lucky to have so many people back me and really love me on the show,'” he humbly tells TV WEEK.
“It’s amazing to think that two years ago, no one even knew me, and now there are people that literally come up to me [and say] ‘I loved you. It’s weird but so nice to think that strangers are interested in me and love me for the person I am. It’s nice to be just loved for who you are.”
Tommy sadly left MasterChef on Sunday night.
(Image: Ten)However, Tommy admits was still gutted to leave the show.
“It’s terrible. But I’m here. Still alive,” he jokes. “I’m pretty happy with my result. I got to the top 10, which is a great number.”
MasterChef may be over but Tommy and his partner Wendy are preparing for their next adventure – the arrival of their second child.
The couple, who are proud parents to toddler Miles and their two dogs, found out they were expecting right before Tommy was asked to return to the show.
“We found out when I got the call to come onto the show,” he remembers. “So then my partner was like, ‘What? You can’t leave me.'”
“I’m pretty happy with my result. I got to the top 10, which is a great number.”
(Image: Instagram)Naturally, the choice wasn’t an easy one because, on one hand, Tommy needed to be with his family and on the other, it was a potentially life-changing opportunity.
“The producers and everything were really nice, and they were like, ‘Tommy, you’re a returning contestant; we’re going to give you something special, you can bring your family out, and that made the decision so much easier,” he says.
Tommy’s journey on MasterChef hasn’t always been easy for the cook who sacrificed time with his son Miles at such a young age, not once but twice.
So, this time he’s ready to spend more time at home, and even though it’s going to be a full house, the devoted father is ready to tackle every challenge head-on.
“I’m definitely nervous [about baby number two]. I think I’m gonna have to embrace the chaos because there’s no way about it. There’s going to be chaos,” he says knowingly.
“If you don’t embrace it, then I think you’ll be in tears every single day.”
When TV WEEK asks if Tommy thinks Miles will enjoy becoming a big brother, the former reality show contestant shares, “I think Miles will definitely take it well. He loves babies, and he loves just every time there’s a baby around. He’s always like, ‘Oh baby!’ He loves it,”
The 31-year-old add that he will “spend some more time at home” until everything “settles” again.
Tommy’s’ son hanging out with his MasterChef’ co-stars.
(Image: Instagram)It seems Tommy can’t wait to share more of his love for food, especially after connecting so deeply to Vietnamese cooking during MasterChef.
“It’s weird for me to say, but before MasterChef, I never really had such a deep connection to my heritage,” he says.
“I loved cooking, but I didn’t realise how strong that kind of connection was until I got onto the show until I started cooking this kind of food, and I started getting feedback on how amazing this food is.”
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